Since Washington voters approved Referendum 71 on November 3, the state has seen an uptick in registrations of new domestic partners. “There have been an average of 90 registrations a week since the election; the weekly average has traditionally been 35 to 40 new registrations,” reports the Secretary of State’s office. The law goes into effect tomorrow, thereby extending all the state-granted rights of marriage to same-sex and senior partners, and the state expects the rush to continue. In late-September, there were 12,112 people registered as partners, but as of this week, there are more than 13,000 domestic partners registered in Washington State.
The final tally of votes shows that Washington approved the measure by 53.15 percent to 46.85 percent. The domestic-partnership expansion bill grants sick leave to take care of an ill domestic partner and rights regarding adoption and child custody. This is the third domestic partnership law (the first two, passed in 2007 and 2008, created the registry and granted a handful of rights). Under the expanded law, dubbed “everything but marriage,” terminating a domestic partnership will now be conducted by courts, like a divorce proceeding.
Yay us!
Show me the money
@3 – you need to get a M.Ed. first.
@4 A Master’s degree is now a part of the “Gay Agenda”?
Congratulations to those in committed relationships who are celebrating their new rights. Makes me happy and proud to have voted to approve R-71.
The people have spoke and now God will have vengance upon the sodomites! The rapture is coming. He will not be bent over and fucked in the ass while He gets a reach-around hand job.
Leviticus 20:13 If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.
Praise Loveschild! I mean God.
Why are young/middle aged straight couples excluded under WA domestic partner law? I don’t want to be married–I want civil rights related to hospital visitation, planning health care, inheritance, etc. Why is this law exclusively for gays and old straight couples?